The
next major renovation on campus – converting Magers Hall from
faculty offices back to student housing – was the first of
several facilities projects discussed at the Dec. 1 university
forum at C.B. Hedgcock. Art Gischia (Purchasing)
said bids are due Dec. 9 and construction is scheduled to
begin in March. Full Story

Feedback
on UC Requested

Faculty,
staff and students are invited to complete a survey on the
facilities and services of the Don H. Bottum University Center.
The information will assess the current operation and offer
direction for a five-year plan.

As
added incentive, those who register feedback will be eligible
to win one of the following prizes: an Apple iPod; a portable
DVD player; or one of five $10 Starbucks gift cards. The survey
must be completed by Monday, Dec. 6. Full
Story

They
will be recognized at the Celebration of Scholarship Ceremony
from 4-5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in the Peter White Lounge
of the University Center. Each will receive a plaque and $1,000
check. All faculty are encouraged to attend the celebration.
The following 2005 TLC Faculty Award recipients, all from
the School of Education, will also be honored at the event:
Kathleen Heikkila, Mitchell Klett,
Laura Reissner, and N. Suzanne Standerford.
Full Story

NMU
Begins E-Billing

Northern is no
longer sending out paper billing statements, including those
for tuition and fees. The bills will be posted electronically
and a notice will be sent to student NMU e-mail accounts.

The process will
help avoid the problems with returned postal mail when student
don't keep their addresses current.

Curriculum
Changes Due Jan. 25

The
deadline for Academic Senate action on curriculum changes
to appear in the 2005-06 Undergraduate Bulletin is Tuesday,
Jan. 25.

The
date coincides with the first senate meeting of the winter
semester.

All
changes approved by the Senate after this date will be effective
with the 2006-07 Bulletin. Full Story

Piirto
Named

Commencement
Speaker

Jane
Piirto, a 1963 NMU alumna and professor at Ashland University,
will be keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony on Saturday,
Dec. 18, in the Superior Dome.

Piirto
is one of only five Trustees’ Professors in the history of
Ashland University. She teaches courses in the Ed. D. leadership
program and is the director of talent development education.
Full Story

Wildcat
Express Card Deadline

The
deadline for NMU faculty, staff and students to transition
to the new Wildcat Express Card for free is Friday, Dec. 17.

Rita
Gordon (Auxiliary Services) said making the change
is highly recommended because many old cards, such as the
NMU centennial edition, don't work with the new system.

Also,
there will be no means of transfering money from the old cash
chip to the new card after the deadline date.

Most research
on gender development has focused on children 3 years of age
or older, but theory suggests that awareness of one's own
sex and the potential for developing gender stereotypes begins
even earlier in life. The challenge has been validating the
theory.

Infants
and toddlers do not have the same level of verbal understanding
or cooperation required in previous studies and recent attempts
to establish age-appropriate measures have been thwarted by
methodological problems or inconsistent results.

Maya
Sen (Psychology)
will try to make advances in this emerging area of research.
She has received a two-year, $100,000 grant from the National
Institutes of Health to develop and pilot-test measures to
analyze gender development in 6- to 30-month-old children.
Full Story

Campus Holiday
Celebration Dec. 9

Faculty
and staff are invited to bring a guest and attend NMU’s Campus
Holiday Celebration from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in the
Great Lakes Rooms of the University Center. Heavy
hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. The celebration
is hosted by President Les Wong, Fred
Joyal (Academic Affairs) and Mike Roy (Finance
and Administration).

Attendees are encouraged
to bring a canned good or toy (unwrapped) for donation to
a local food pantry or the Mining Journal Cheer Club.

NMU
'Lights Up' the Holidays

The
annual "Lighting up the Holidays" event at NMU will
be held on Thursday, Dec. 2, at the University Center.

Hayrides
will be offered from 4-8:30 p.m., departing from the UC atrium.
Full Story

Wildcats
Compete in NCAA Action Tonight

The
Wildcat volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite
Eight tournament for the first time since 1997.

The
'Cats face the University of Minnesota-Duluth at 5 p.m. Thursday,
Dec. 2. The game will be broadcast live on WNGE-FM 99.5. Fans
can also listen online at Wildcat
Broadcasts. For a full
schedule of the tournament, being held at Barry University
in Miami Shores, Fla., go to Elite
Eight.

The
women's cross country team captured seventh place at the NCAA
Division II National Championships Nov. 22 in Evansville,
Ind. It was the squad's fifth consecutive appearance at the
national meet and fifth straight top 8 finish.

Poet
David Dodd Lee to Give Reading

Nationally recognized
poet David Dodd Lee will give a reading at NMU at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 2, in the Huron Room of the University Center.

Nominated nine times
for the Pushcart Prize, Lee has taught at writing conferences
across the country. His work has appeared in more than 20
sources, including four times in Passages North,
a literary magazine for which he once served as an editor.